This invention relates generally to cleaner devices and related equipment for use in cleaning swimming pools and the like. More specifically, this invention relates to improvements in hoses for supplying water under pressure to an in-the-pool cleaner device.
Pool cleaner devices in general are relatively well known in the art for automated operation to assist in maintaining the cleanliness of a swimming pool or the like. Such cleaner devices are typically installed directly into the swimming pool and include water-powered drive means for travel in a generally random fashion throughout the pool. Vacuum apparatus and/or water spray jets are commonly included on the cleaner device and function to dislodge dirt and debris within the swimming pool for collection within a small filter bag carried by the cleaner device or, in the alternative, for suspension within the pool water and subsequent circulation to a conventional swimming pool filtration system. Examples of such water-powered in-the-pool cleaner devices are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,972,339; 3,936,899; and 3,822,754. See also commonly assigned application Ser. No. 574,293, filed Jan. 26, 1984, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,479, issued Dec. 17, 1985.
Pool cleaning devices of the above-described type are adapted for connection to a supply of water under pressure, such as the pump discharge flow from the pool filtration system, by means of an elongated flexible cleaner hose. Such cleaner hoses are typically constructed from lightweight and preferably inexpensive plastic material capable of withstanding prolonged exposure to the swimming pool water and related temperature variations without significant incidents of failure. In one known form, the cleaner hose is constructed from elongated extruded plastic tubing with a plurality of floats installed along the length thereof to insure hose buoyancy, together with a plurality of swivel couplings to prevent hose twisting as the cleaner device moves throughout the pool during operation. For some pool cleaner devices, however, extruded tubing hoses do not exhibit sufficient flexibility to trail the cleaner device without imposing significant drag and other forces upon the cleaner device, wherein such forces can adversely impact traction between the wheels of the cleaner device and adjacent pool surfaces, as well as the efficiency of debris vacuuming apparatus.
Alternative cleaner hose configurations have been proposed in the form of a so-called spiral wound hose constructed from an elongated strip of lightweight plastic material with adjacent strip turns interconnected to define a flexible hose construction. Such cleaner hoses advantageously can be made from relatively buoyant plastic materials to eliminate the need for separate hose floats. Moreover, spiral wound hoses tend to exhibit a relatively high degree of flexibility during operation with a corresponding reduction in drag and other forces applied to the cleaner device as it moves through the water of the swimming pool. However, spiral wound hoses have not exhibited satisfactory longevity within the chemical-treated water of a swimming pool, particularly when that water becomes relatively warm, resulting in relatively frequent incidents of hose rupture and failure. Moreover, the buoyant characteristics of spiral wound hoses results in a relatively high hose profile during cleaner operation to create significant drag disruptive to vacuuming efficiency and wheel traction. This drag can have especially pronounced effects when the pool cleaner device is adapted for operation with a relatively low pressure supply of water, as described in the above-referenced application Ser. No. 574,293.
There exists, therefore, a significant need for an improved cleaner hose for use with in-the-pool cleaner devices and the like wherein the hose exhibits relatively high flexibility and longevity in use, and further wherein the hose is adapted to impart substantially minimum drag and other forces to the pool cleaner during cleaner operation. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further related advantages.